Avacor For Hair Loss

By Robert Cooke | Staff Writer

April 1, 2003

The product and what it's marketed for: The Avacor hair system is advertised as a three-treatment regimen aimed at the problem of hair loss. It consists of organic herbal tablets to be taken twice daily, a "deep cleansing shampoo" and a "topical solution" that is applied next. Advertisements have appeared on television, radio, in the Sunday newspaper supplement Parade and on the Internet. Avacor is sold only via direct order, so you can't read the packages to check on ingredients unless you buy it. A three-month supply -- the smallest package sold -- costs $239.95, plus shipping and handling charges.

What's claimed: Avacor's promotions say it "helps stop DHT (dihydrotestosterone) from attacking your hair follicles and starts regrowing hair in bald areas. Satisfaction is guaranteed." DHT is a form of the male sex hormone, testosterone.

The company's Web site also says that Avacor was "proven to be over 90 percent effective in a six-month study."

The company asserts, "There was significant improvement in the rate of hair loss and regrowth" and a "dramatic decrease in the rate of excessive hair loss and fallout was noticed in most patients," in women as early as two to four weeks. Hair regrowth was reported on average within two to four months in 95 percent of the males and within two to three months in 98 percent of the females.

The site also says that "thickening and lengthening of hair throughout the scalp occurred in all patients over the course of the study and thereafter." It's well known, of course, that hair grows longer whether it undergoes treatment or not. There is no mention of publication of study results, usually required of scientific studies.

The treatment: Two tablets taken daily are "an all-natural herbal formula that prevents dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from reaching your hair follicles . ... " The tablets are taken "to stop the active binding of DHT to the hair follicle receptors."

An FDA representative couldn't comment, since no list of ingredients was available.

The second step of treatment, the "deep cleansing shampoo," is "specially formulated to clean the scalp of environmental pollutants and improve the absorbency of the topical solution. The shampoo opens the pores allowing topical solution to penetrate the hair follicle to get to the root of the problem."

The third treatment, the topical solution, is "a special blend of herbs in combination with a variety of penetrating agents which improves the penetration rate of the affected site." Also, "a carefully selected combination of minerals, vitamins, amino acids and known hair growers was added in order to provide the basic nutrients necessary for the metabolism of healthy hair follicular cell development." Details of the "special blend" and "carefully selected combination" were not provided.

What's known: The company advertising this product, Global Vision Products, didn't return phone calls. Calls to the Avacor Clinic, 227 E. 56th St., Suite 220, Manhattan, also were not returned. An answering service operator said "the doctor is out to lunch," and would take no message. Another said Dr. Harry Edelson would respond. He hasn't.

The Federal Trade Commission, which investigates consumer complaints, had no record of the company or its products. According to the Better Business Bureau, complaints regarding advertising, payment problems, defective or damaged merchandise, and warranty and selling practices have been filed in the past three years. Twelve of these were filed in the past year, and the BBB said three remained unresolved.

The BBB listed the president of Global Vision Products Inc. as Anthony Dmbriolo, who didn't return calls.

The bottom line: The claims are many and the data few, and no scientific articles are cited to support any of the claims.